When Life Gets too Hard
by Ari Starkid
Summary: Julia Albain made a mistake. A huge mistake. One that could ruin her relationship, her friendship, and maybe even Team Starkid. Now she has to fix it, but how can she fix it when she can hardly face up to what she did? Laurwalk, Julia/Darren.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N-I should be writing my other story but this idea almost ate me alive and my other story, which was supposed to be humor/friendship/romance is turning into a full on angst-fest. So, I'm going to vent some angst here. I just wanted to make something else clear. I do NOT ship Joey/Julia. That might seem like what's going on but, its not!**

Julia woke up in a dark room, in a bed she didn't recognize. A clock next to the bed read 2am. She groaned and turned over coming face to face with a sleeping Joe Walker. Julia shot straight up in bed as the night before came rushing back to her. _A bar. Joe was there. Getting drunk. Going to his place. Dancing. And then…_ She got dressed as fast as she could tears streaming down her face. She ran out of the apartment and downstairs to the door. Julia walked outside and sat on the steps. Pulling out her phone she dialed Joey's number.

"Joey," she said shakily, "Can you come get me?"

"Sure," he said, immediately recognizing that something was seriously wrong, "Where are you?"

"I-I'm at Walker's apartment building."

"I'll be there in five."

Joey's car pulled up a few minutes later. Julia was collapsed on the ground. He gently picked her up and put her in the backseat of his car. Turning on the GPS he entered Lauren's address.

"Not Lauren's house." Julia said.

"Okay."

Joey turned the car around and headed back to his place. He gathered her up, carried her inside, and placed her on his couch. He looked her over.

"Are you hurt?" She shook her head.

He got up, went to the kitchen, and made some tea. Coming back in he handed a mug to Julia.

"Do you want to talk about it?" No answer. "Ok… You don't have to. Why don't you sleep here tonight and we can talk about it in the morning." She nodded. "Well, good night." He started to walk towards his room.

"Wait." Julia said, "Can you stay here for a bit? I don't wanna be by myself."

He sat down on the armchair next to her, "Sure." Julia closed her eyes and fell right to sleep. Joey couldn't though. He looked at Julia. This was not the Julia he knew. She looked small and helpless not at all like the big sister figure he had come to know her as. He was curious as to what happened at Joe's but knew not to push it. He didn't want to damage her anymore by making her relive whatever happened. Eventually he fell into a restless sleep.

Joey woke up at 7am. He stood up and stretched his legs. He pulled on jeans, a Starship t-shirt, and some sneakers. Walking into the kitchen he discovered that he was out of coffee. He went to the grocery store and left Julia a note:

_Good Morning! I just went to the store to pick up some food and coffee. Be back soon!_

When he got back Julia was still asleep. He made a pot of coffee and sliced some fruit. Then he made some chocolate-chip pancakes. Suddenly his phone rang.

"Yeah?"

"Joey!" It was Lauren, "Julia never came home last night! I called everyone, no one knows where she is!" She sounded panicked.

"Lo calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down when my best friend is missing!"

"Julia is perfectly fine."

"Have you seen her?"

"Yeah." He looked over at Julia lying asleep on his couch.

"Well where is she?"

"She's asleep on my couch."

"I'm coming over!"

"Hold on just a sec." Julia was waking up. She sat up on the couch her hair tousled and her clothes wrinkled. She looked over at Joey and smiled then the events of the night came back to her and she burst into tears. Joey walked over to her and sat down beside her. He reached out and hugged her tight, "Shhhh… Its gonna be ok. Its gonna be ok." He heard Lauren shouting into the phone. He grabbed it and put it to his ear.

"What's going on? Is she crying? What did you do?"

"Lauren! Shut up for just one minute!"

"FINE!" she hung up.

Joey turned back to Julia who was still sobbing into his shirt. "Hey, easy, easy." He rubbed her back. Joey wanted to help but didn't know how. After a while her sobs were reduced to sniffles and he pulled her off of him. He guided her into the kitchen and gave her coffee, fruit, and pancakes. He handed her her phone, which had about fifteen missed calls on it. They sat in silence for a while with only the sound of forks and knives clanking against plates. When Julia finished eating Joey cleared the table. He went into the living room and turned on the TV. A few minutes later Julia followed.

"Joey." She said, "Can we talk?"

He turned off the TV, "Sure."

Julia walked over and sat next to him, "I just don't know what I was thinking. Its just Darren's in LA and it gets lonely being around people in love when the person you love might as well be gone. I was at this bar and Joe was there. We started to talk and I got really, really drunk. Joe offered to drive me home but somehow we wound up at his house. And he started to play music and then we started dancing. One thing led to another. And I woke up naked in his bed. Joe Walker's bed! The love of Lauren's life! I probably ruined their relationship and its probably gonna be over between me and Darren when he finds out! Lauren is never going to forgive me! What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?" She started to weep.

"I don't know Julia, I don't know. I can't answer that for you. No one can."

**A/N-WOW! That was hard to write! It's a little shorter than most of my chapters but this felt like a good point to stop. I hope everyone liked this. It's a little different than my other story. Review, review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- I was up all night watching a musical about talking genitalia… This is why I have basically no life! Anyway, I should have been writing A Starkid Summer Vacation. Oh and I got AVPM shoes for Christmas! Excitement! Here we go!**

Julia walked into rehearsal on Monday earlier than usual. She spent the weekend crying until there were no more tears to cry. She hadn't spoken to anyone but Joey all weekend. Now she was at rehearsal. She was going to have to face Joe and Lauren and everyone else. She didn't know what Joe had told Lauren and how much everyone else knew. The Langs were the only other people in the theatre. She walked up to the brothers.

"Hi." She said tiredly.

"You're alive! We were beginning to think you had fallen off the earth!" Matt said attempting a joke. Julia didn't smile.

"I actually need to talk to you guys about something serious."

"Shoot." Nick said looking up from his laptop.

"I need some time off. A month, maybe two."

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Its personal. I need to think."

"Since when do we keep secrets in Team Starkid?"

"I did something. Something really bad. It could ruin Starkid. I need to think about how to fix it."

"Go ahead. You look tired and whatever this is it's really weighing you down." Matt cut in.

"Thanks guys." She gave the brothers a hug and right then the rest of the group arrived. They sat in their usual circle on the ground. This is where they bounced ideas around and got all the talking out of the way so they could focus. It never worked. As usual everyone started talking at once and began to goof off. "Guys!" Julia called out. "Guys!" a little louder. "Everybody shut up and listen I have something important to say!" The room went quiet.

"Well… What is it?" Joe Moses asked expectantly.

"I'm, well, I'm taking some time off." She avoided Lauren and Joe's gazes and instead looked right at Joey, "I'll be gone for about two months. I just need some alone time, to think." Her gaze met with Joe's, a million apologizes echoed in his eyes, "So, I'm going to go pack up. Bye guys. Love you." Julia walked out of the room. Lauren, Joe, and Joey followed her out.

"Jules! Wait up!" Lauren reached her first.

"Not now."

"What the hell is going on with you? You wouldn't talk to me and now this."

"I'm sorry LoLo. I want you to remember that I love you. Whatever you're going to hear, you're like my little sister and I never wanted to hurt you." Julia gave her a hug.

"You're scaring me."

"Go back inside. There appear to be other people who want to talk to me."

"Fine. Good luck on whatever Jules. I love you too."

Joe walked up to Julia, "What do you want Walker?"

"I'm sorry. It was all my fault. You were to drunk to know which way was up and I took advantage of that. I feel like a complete ass."

"Well I'm glad you're sorry because now everything is just going to get better because Joe Walker apologized. It's not that kind of mistake. What about Lauren? She's going to be heartbroken. And Darren? He'll probably find out on Twitter or something when this gets out! You are an ass! I didn't know what kind of man you were Joe Walker but now I see your true colors and I don't like them! You took advantage of me and I'm never going to forget that!"

"Goodbye Julia." Joe walked away head hung in shame and regret.

Joey pulled Julia into a hug, "Are you sure this is the right decision? Running away never fixes anything."

"I'm not running." She pulled away.

"Okay, whatever you say. I hope you find what you need to face Lauren and Darren. Call me everyday. If I think something's wrong I'm going to come over there."

"Bye Joey."

"Bye Julia."

Julia drove home. When she got there she let herself in. Stepping over the doormat with the picture of Virgil on it she walked into the hall. She grabbed her laptop and sat at the kitchen table. Julia had decided to make an announcement video for the fans, to tell them that she was going to disappear for a while. She knew that with their overactive imaginations they would blow it way out of proportion.

"Is the camera on? Yeah it is. Hey guys! Its Julia Albain here with a little announcement. In the next couple months you're going to notice that I'm going to drop off the radar. I have not quit Team Starkid. I'm taking some time off. I am a human being and sometimes I go through rough patches in life. This is one of them. I need to think without all the Starkid stuff. Thanks for understanding! Love all you guys! Bye!" She put it up on YouTube. A few minutes later she started getting tweets from fans hoping she was ok. They were all so understanding. She had decided to go back home to Cincinnati. She was going to be directing the spring musical at her old high school. They were doing "Into the Woods". She rolled her suitcase to the door and started to walk out when her phone rang. It was Darren. She pressed ignore and put her phone back in her purse. She knew he was probably worried about her but she couldn't deal with lying to him right now. Julia got on the plane and thought about what to do until she landed an hour later. She got off the plane in Cincinnati and exited the airport. Outside she was about to hail a cab when someone took her suitcase and wrapped their arm around her shoulders. She turned to see her childhood best friends Maddy and Chris.

"Hey Jules! Miss us in Chicago?" Maddy asked.

"Yeah, I did. A lot actually. How are you two?"

"The real question is how are you?"

"I'm doing ok considering."

"Considering?" There was no answer.

"Welp, why don't we go back to your mom's place and we can talk later." Chris cut in. They walked Julia to the car and put her suitcase in the trunk. Thirty minutes later they arrived at Julia's house. She got out of the car and walked up to the brick house. It looked just the same as she left it. There were so many good memories in this house. She knew this was where she needed to be to make it right. It felt so good to come home.

**A/N- I hope everyone enjoyed the new chapter! Do you guys want details about her time in Cincinnati or should I do more of a snapshot thing? Should I switch back to the other Starkids during this time? Review! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- Hello. Sorry its been so long since I updated this story. I'm going to try to update a bunch in the next couple days to make up for it. I'm going to be in a place with no guarantee of internet for a few days next week. But, I'll work to get chapters up as quick as I can. Here we go!**

Joey was sitting in his apartment when his phone rang, "Did somebody say Joey?"

"Hey, its Darren."

"I know."

"How?"

"Caller ID. We've had it for a while now in Chicago. Is LA gonna get it too?"

"Very funny." Darren said sarcastically.

"What's up?"

"Julia isn't returning my calls!"

"Dude, did you see the video?"

"What video?"

"Guess not. Go on YouTube and watch it. Then call me back." He hung up and called back a few minutes later.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"She needs a break. Let her be."

"You know something." Darren accused, "Have you talked to her?"

"Maybe."

"Joey!"

"Yeah I have."

"When?"

"Yesterday."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Besides I made her promise to call me everyday. I would know if something was wrong."

"Why did she leave?"

"She needed time."

"Don't give me that crap! I know you know the real reason!"

"Darren... Don't ask me. I can't tell you."

"Yes you can!"

"You can't ask me to betray her trust. I'm sure you'll find out eventually."

"Fine! If you can't tell me I'll find someone who can!"

"Good luck with that! You might need a Hufflepuff." Darren hung up.

-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-

Julia stood on the stage in the auditorium of her old high school. A group of hopeful students sat in the audience.

"Hello. My name is Julia Albain. I will be directing the musical this year. Its my understanding we'll be doing Into the Woods. Is this true?"

"Yeah." A girl spoke up, "Can you tell us a bit more about yourself? What qualifies you to direct a musical?"

"And you are?"

"Lilly Taylor."

"That's an excellent question Lilly. Everyone should know the past experience of everybody they come into contact with while doing a show. As I said before my name is Julia Albain. I am an alumna of this school and a native of Cincinnati. I graduated from University of Michigan with a degree in theatre. While I was still in college I was involved in the production of A Very Potter Musical. When I graduated me and a few friends opened a theatre company called Team Starkid. You may have heard of us. Since then I have helped produce all six musicals, I was in charge of both SPACE Tour and Apocalyptour, and have written a book."

"Cool." Lilly sounded impressed. Auditions went by quickly and as Julia was preparing to go home Lilly came up to her.

"Hey! I just wanted to say that I'm a huge fan!" She said.

"That's cool." Just then Maddy and Chris came in.

"Jules, ready to go?"

"Yeah."

-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-

The following days were stressful at Starkid headquarters. Joey was avoiding Lauren who knew he knew something about where Julia went. She wouldn't stop pestering him about it. Joe was trying to avoid Lauren but no such luck. So, he settled for making plans everyday of the week so they couldn't go on dates. Darren called multiple times a day because Julia still wasn't taking his calls. Rehearsals had all but stopped, without Julia because there was no one to organize them. Finally Joey had had enough and a few weeks after she left he called Julia.

"Hey Joey!"

"Jules, when are you coming back?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Its getting ridiculous! We haven't properly rehearsed since you left! And Darren's gone nuts! Lo is driving me crazy!"

"Well, the musical closes Monday so, I could be back on Tuesday."

"Are you ready to tell them?"

"Yeah... I need to do it. I need to close this."

"Okay. Can I tell them you're coming back?"

"Go ahead."

"Mkay Jules. Take care of yourself."

"You too. Tell them I miss them."

"Will do. Bye."

"Bye."

The next day was Friday. The group was assembled at rehearsal. The usual awkward silence they had come to know since Julia left had fallen over the room. Joey stood up. "Hey guys! I have some exciting news!"

"What?" Lauren asked clearly unexcited.

"I talked to Julia and she told me that she's flying back on Tuesday."

"Why will she talk to you and not me? I'm her best friend! She should be telling me things not you!" The room became completely silent as every Starkid held their breath.

"Lo can we not start this now? She'll be back on Tuesday and we can talk then."

"You know what? I think you're scared! Scared that I'll find out! I don't know what it is but when Jules gets back your secret will come out!"

"I'm not the one hiding things." Joey looked pointedly at Joe. Lauren seemed oblivious to his hints.

"Oh, sure. Blame Julia!"

"It wasn't Julia's fault. The person who's at fault here knows what he did and I hope he's sorry."

"I certainly hope you're sorry for whatever you did to make her run!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Well, we'll see when Jules gets back what she has to say!"

"That's it! I'm not fighting with you anymore! Its pointless!"

"That's right run away Richter! That's what you're good at!"

"That's enough Lauren. Sit down." Meredith broke up the fight. She sat Lauren and Joey on opposite sides of the room. When they cooled off, rehearsal continued with noticeably more tension. No one could wait until Julia came back to fix the mess she'd left behind.

When Joey got home he had three missed calls from Darren. He called him back.

"Hey Joey."

"Hey man. You called. Three times."

"I know. What's up?"

"Another fight with Lo."

"Sorry. Same thing?"

"Yeah, 'bout Jules."

"I know I asked last night but speaking of Jules, you talked to her recently?"

"Yeah actually. Thats why I called. She'll be back Tuesday."

"Great! I'm flying out there then."

"Okay. Just don't smother her when she gets here. Or pressure her to talk to you. She's going to probably want to talk to Lo first."

"I can wait. As long as she talks to me eventually. She can't avoid me forever."

"She's not planning to."

"Well, I got to go. Have to get some sleep. Early filming tomorrow."

"Good Night."

"Night."

**A/N-This idea sorta didn't work out the way I wanted so I just decided to fast forward until she gets back. Anyway. Review Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Warning: There might be some language in this chapter which some people might not like. I think is still falls under T though. I toned it down and avoided f-bombs. **

**I'm sorry guys. I know some of you don't like them fighting but thats this story. I might take this story in a different direction but maybe not. Today I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and bought a cool Hogwarts long sleeve shirt. Yay for what fangirls do all day. Storytime.**

Julia arrived at the airport Tuesday afternoon. Joey was waiting for her at the gate. After a few welcome backs from fans they made it to the car. They drove to the apartment Julia shared with Jaime, Lauren, and Melissa. Jaime opened the door.

"Jules!" She tackled hugged her.

"Hey, Jaims."

"I'm so glad you're back!" Melissa jumped into the hug.

"Me too." Lauren appeared in the hall.

"Hey guys, can you give me and Lauren some time? Joey's gonna take you for coffee."

"Sure." They walked out fighting about who would ride shotgun.

"Hi Lo. Sit down." The two sat on the couch in the living room, "I'm going to tell you some stuff now. I'm telling you because you deserve to know the truth. And the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you."

"Jules, what the hell happened? Just tell me!"

"It was that night I went to the bar. You were too tired so I went by myself."

"I remember."

"Joe was there. I was just going to have one or two drinks. But before I knew it I was too drunk to tell up from down. Joe offered to drive me home. We started going a way I didn't recognize. He pulled up in front of his apartment building and took me upstairs. He put music on. We started to dance. And I don't remember the next part so great but I woke up in his bed naked. I'm so sorry Lauren." Julia started to cry.

"Get out of my apartment! Get the hell out! I can't believe that my best friend could do this to me! My best friend! Get out!"

"I'm sorry Lauren." She opened the door.

"Just go!" She pushed Julia into the hall right as Jaime, Melissa, and Joey came back.

"What's going on here?" Melissa asked.

"What's going on here is that Julia is a stupid skanky whore who couldn't keep her hands off my boyfriend!"

"What?" Jaime turned to look at Julia, "What's she saying?"

"She slept with my jerk of a boyfriend is what happened!"

"What the hell Julia!" Melissa yelled.

"Joey, I wanna leave." Julia said quietly tears streaming down her face.

"Okay. Come on."

"And you!" Lauren yelled, "Why are you siding with her?" Joey ignored her and kept walking with his arm around Julia. They walked to the car and got in.

"Is Darren is town?"

"Are you sure you want to talk to him right now?"

"Yeah, I wanna get it over with."

"Sure." He made a u-turn and drove to a hotel, "He decided to stay here. Room 319. I'll be in the lobby if you need to leave."

"Okay." She took the elevator and knocked on the door.

"Yeah?"

"Its Julia." He opened the door.

"Jules!"

"Hi Dare."

"Have you been crying?"

"I deserved it."

"What?"

"You'll see." They sat on the bed, "Do you want the short version with a heartfelt explanation or the long version and tears?"

"What'd you give Lauren?"

"Long with tears."

"I'll take the other one."

"I got drunk and slept with Joe."

"You did what?" Darren seemed remarkably calm.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I was lonely without you and Joe was there. And I don't really know."

"Well, we're over."

"Aren't you mad?"

"Yeah. But I can't blame you. I can't expect you to be in a relationship with someone halfway across the country who you see a few days a year and remain completely faithful. To me what matters most is that you told me. It would have been so easy to just hide it but you told me. And that was the right thing."

"What do you want to do?"

"Break up but I want to stay friends. I'm not going to throw away all those years of friendship for this."

"I wish Lo felt that way."

"She'll understand eventually."

"What if she doesn't? What if she never forgives me?"

"If you keep being nice to her she'll forgive you. You're best friends she has to forgive you." Darren hugged her.

"Thanks Dare."

"I have to go. My plane leaves soon."

"Okay." Julia walked back into the lobby.

"How'd it go?" Joey asked.

"He was pretty understanding. We broke up, obviously, but he wants to stay friends."

"Thats good. Darren was always reasonable."

"I guess I'm not welcome at my house anymore."

"Stay with me for a while. Until Lo lets you back in."

"Thanks."

**A/N-This was really short. So sorry about that. Okay. So Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- It has been so long since this has been updated... I can't believe that this is only the fifth chapter! How did that happen? I am so sorry. This chapter was super forced. I've literally been squeezing the creativity out of my brain for days because I honestly have no freaking clue what I'm doing. Welp, lets go.**

Rehearsal the next day was awkward to say the least. Only Julia, Lauren, Joe, Jaime, and Joey knew what happened and they were avoiding each other. Lauren and Jaime refused to work with Joe, Julia, and Joey. Julia refused to work with Joe. Finally Nick had enough.

"Alright you guys! Whatever is going on between you ends here and now! This fight or grudge or whatever it is has no place at rehearsal! Its none of my business but if you can't contain it I'll make it my business!"

"Lets just agree to be civil." Julia told Lauren and held out her hand to shake on it.

"Oh! Were you civil when you decided to go home with Joe?" The room fell silent. The rest of rehearsal was spent in chaos. The Starkids were furious at Julia and Joe. Suddenly Lauren's voice was heard again.

"Does Darren know? Have you even told him?" She pulled out her phone and dialled Darren's number.

"What's up Lo?"

"Julia slept with Joe!"

"And?"

"That's not enough?"

"She told me last night."

"What are you doing about it?"

"We broke up."

"You don't sound very mad."

"Its not really her fault. There's blame to go around."

"You're crazy!"

"I've got to go. Tell everyone I love them. Especially Jules."

"Bye." Lauren hung up.

"Everyone should just go home." Matt said. They gathered their stuff and went home.

-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-

"Jules. Wake up. Rehearsal starts in an hour." Joey shook Julia as she slept in his guest room.

"Go away."

"Lets try a 'Good Morning Joey! Thank you for waking me up so I won't be late!" shall we?"

"I'm not going."

"You have to go. Its your job."

"Its a hobby."

"No Julia. Its something you're paid for. Its a place you've worked at since you graduated. Its your source of income. Its definitely your job."

"I'm not going!" She threw her head into her pillow.

"Alright then. I'm leaving in fifteen minutes and I'll be back this afternoon."

"Close the door and turn the light off when you leave."

"Will do. Bye!" Joey walked down to his car and got in. On the drive to the theatre he reflected on the events of the last couple months. He didn't like what he was thinking. Back in college, he mused, they could get through anything. They were strong, passionate, and driven. And now it took one drunken mistake to tear them apart. He pulled into the lot, the last car there. He grabbed his backpack, locked up, and went inside. The Starkids had already started with their warm-up circle.

"You're late." Matt Lang said.

"Sorry." Joey responded taking his place in the circle trying to ignore the fact that there was no space left for Julia like they usually left when a Starkid wasn't at rehearsal. He returned to his apartment after an uneventful day.

"Julia! I'm back!" Joey closed the door and put the keys on a hook in the hall. After searching the whole apartment he found her laying in the same position she was in when he left, "Jules. You have to get up at some point."

"Yes, but not today."

"I'm not going to let you lie in bed all day."

"What are you gonna do? Kick me out?"

"Maybe I will." She lifted her head from the pillow and looked at him, "Okay. I lied."

"That's what I thought."

"Are you planning on getting up tomorrow?"  
"Nope."

"Do you wanna do anything this afternoon?"

"Nope."

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'll be in the living room if you need something."

"Okay." Joey left and Julia pulled out her laptop. She had barely opened it when Darren Skyped her. She answered.

"Hi Julia."

"Did Joey put you up to something?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Never mind. How've you been?"

"Things have been going pretty smoothly here. We actually might be done filming ahead of schedule!"

"That's exciting."

"What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much."

"Joey says you've been spending alot of time in the apartment."

"So it was Joey."

"Joey hasn't done anything wrong. I asked him to tell me what's going on."

"With me?"

"And other stuff."

"But, mostly me?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't be a good friend if I wasn't worried. A fight like the one you had with Lauren and from what I understand also everyone else could affect you."

"I'm feeling fine."

"Is that why you refused to go to rehearsal this morning and haven't gotten out of bed yet?"

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Fine. But this discussion is not over."

"Did you go to any cool parties?"

"Why is everyone obsessed with hearing about parties?"

"We live vicariously through you. None of us can go to parties. None of us even get invited."

"Well as a matter a fact Chris held quite a nice little get together."

"Tell me about that."

"There's nothing to tell. It was at his loft, we drank, we talked... Regular party stuff."

"Did you hook-up?"

"I don't wanna talk about that."

"Dare, I don't care who you hook up with at parties."

"Who are you talking to?" Joey walkes in.

"Its Dare."

"Oh, hey man."

"Hey Joey."

"What'd this girl tell you? They're lies."

"The only lie I heard was 'I'm fine,'" Julia gets up and walks out of the room.

"Touchy."

**A/N- This chapter went... poorly. I'm falling asleep as I type so I need to end it here. Review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- Good morning! (or night i don't know where you live) I am staying home today because according to my mom I'm too sick to go to school. Also, I'm finally updating things... YAY!**

A few days later during rehearsal Lauren approached Joey.

"Hey Joey."

"Oh, hi Lo. Are you talking to me now?"

"Yeah. Ummm... How's Jules?"

"How do you think?"

"Not good?"

"How would you feel if your best friend thought you were a skanky whore. Is that that the term you used?"

"I have every right to be upset."

"You're right you do. With Joe. Not Julia."

"Look, okay. I'm asking because I want her to move back in."

"What?"

"I haven't forgiven her. But, she's still my best friend and I miss her."

"And so now all of a sudden you want her to move back in?"

"Technically I had no right to kick her out. She pays a quarter of the rent."

"I don't know Lauren. Julia's in bad shape."

"Just for a week and if she's unhappy she can move out."

"I'll ask her."

"Great! Thanks!"

When Joey got home Julia wasn't lying in bed. He found her in the kitchen. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she had her glasses on staring at a computer. He peered over to see she was on Facebook chatting with a girl named noticed him looking and put the lid down.

"How was rehearsal?"

"We need to talk." Joey sat across from her at the table.

"Sure, what about?"

"I talked to Lauren today."

"And?"

"She wants you to move back in."

"What?"

"That's what I said."

"I-I don't know."

"You don't have to but she wants you to try living with them for a week and if you don't like it you can leave."

"Fine. I wanna try."

"Okay. I'll take you over."

Julia went back to the bedroom and started to pack up her stuff. She folded all of her clothes neatly then rolled her suitcase out into the hall. Together they drove over to Lauren's. Joey had a sense of deja vu. This happened the last time and that time hadn't ended well. They had to walk up the stairs because the elevator was broken. Luckily the girls were only on the third floor and Julia's suitcase was pretty light so it wasn't that bad. The door opened and Jaime and Melissa appeared ushering her inside. Joey tried to follow but Jaime stopped him.

"No boys."

"But-"

"No buts. I'll call you and tell you how things went. Okay?"

"Fine." Joey dramatically attempted to walk down the stairs and promptly fell down a full flight eliciting laughter from Jaime.

"Are-you-alright?" She said between laughs.

"Fine. Thanks for all your concern."

"Anytime." Joey continued to walk down the stairs and after Jaime knew he had made it to the bottom safely she walked back inside. She arrived in the living room to see Melissa trying to get Julia to talk to her and Lauren only speaking to Melissa.

"Hey!" She sat next to Lauren, "So, Julia what've you been up to?"

"Nothing much. I haven't been going to rehearsal so..."

"Are you coming to rehearsal tomorrow?"

"That depends on whether or not I'm welcome." She looked right at Lauren.

"You're always welcome at Starkid." Jaime said.

"Am I, really?" Lauren whispered something in Jaime's ear.

"Lauren wants me to tell you she wants you to go to rehearsals."

"Umm..." Julia looked unsure of how to respond.

"Please." Jaime added.

"Okay."

-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-

Darren shivered, rubbing his hands together to warm them up. He had just spent the whole day ice skating on set. He had to film White Christmas with Chris and now he was freezing. Not only that, it was also Christmas Eve. He sat down on a bench and put his head in his hands. A few minutes later he felt two hands on his back. He looked up to see Chris and Lea looking at him.

"Is everything okay Darren?" Lea asked.

"No. Everything's not okay."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know what I'm doing."

"Darren, this is your job." Chris told him.

"I meant in Los Angeles. I don't belong here."

"Of course you belong here silly-" Chris started.

Lea interrupted, "Dare. We love you and everything but I can see what you're saying. You don't belong on a screen, you belong on a stage. Making people laugh. Singing and playing guitar and composing music. Somewhere where you can act like an idiot and be yourself. And there are people who need you."

"Lea, what are you talking about?" Chris asked.

"Darren knows what I mean. Dare, she needs you. I know it."

"You're right." He stood up and hugged Lea and Chris, "I love you guys. You're both so amazing. And we'll keep in touch. Okay?"

"Whats going on?" Chris looked confused.

"I'm going back to Chicago. Its where I belong."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Well then, good luck!" Darren walked away and marched right up to Ryan Murphy.

"I quit."

"Wha-What?!"

"I'm leaving LA. Tonight."

"Darren what in the world are you talking about?"

"Its nothing you did but there's a few someones I need to be with right now."

"So that's it then? You're just going to leave?"

"I'll do a wrap-up episode. Call me when you need me for filming for that and I'll fly out. But, after that I'm done."

"I'm not sure I have a response to this."

"How about good bye?"

"Good bye and good luck with whatever." They shook hands and Darren drove back to his apartment. He surveyed his stuff. He didn't want to bring back any bow-ties or other things he had started wearing here. He grabbed a backpack a stuffed all his jeans and t-shirts inside along with a few books and his pink sunglasses. He swung it over his shoulder and took the metro to the airport. When he got there he went up to the nearest counter.

"How can I help you?" An employee asked with a fake smile.

"I need to get to Chicago, tonight."

"I'm sorry. We aren't selling tickets for those flights at the moment. You'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"You don't understand. I need to get to Chicago."

"I'm sorry sir. I already told you."

"Do you know who I am? I'm Harry freakin' Potter and I need a plane ticket!"  
"Sir, can you please calm down? I'm going to call my manager."

"What seems to be the problem?" The manager appeared a few minutes later.

"This gentleman is causing a scene. He wants to go to Chicago. I'm trying to explain to him there are no tickets for sale." The manager looked at Darren and recognition flashed over his face.

"You're Darren Criss."

"Who?" The employee asked.

"He's a star on Glee. He's a celebrity. Get him a seat."

"Thanks." Darren said. An hour later he was on a plane headed for Chicago. He would arrive at two in the morning but it would be worth it. He couldn't sleep. All he could do was think about the life he left behind a few years earlier and would it still be there for him when he came home for good?

**A/N- I hope you enjoyed. Got some Glee at the end. I am going to go watch a musical in hopes it'll make me feel better. Then, I'm going to update my third story. Review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- What I should be doing is updating my other story. But, I've sat in front of my computer for hours and... NOTHING! Its like my brain is empty of fun summer things. But, I feel like its been forever and I need to give you guys something to read so here's some more Julia and Darren. Its almost done! Soon! **

Darren's plane landed at two in the morning. He stumbled into the airport, exhausted. Walking outside he hailed a cab and gave it directions to the girls' apartment. He decided that would be the best option. He had a key so he wouldn't wake anyone up and their couch was pretty comfy. He arrived and called the elevator. As quietly as he could he unlocked the door and snuck in. He was about to go to sleep when he decided to have a snack first. The kitchen was dark and he didn't want to turn any lights on. He opened the fridge, took out a yogurt, and turned around to come face to face with a baseball bat.

"Jesus! Jaime is that you?"

"Darren?" Jaime slowly lowered the bat and turned on the lights. Giving him a hug she said, "You look horrible."

"Thanks for not killing me."

"I thought you were a burglar."

"What? One that steals yogurt?"

"I don't know. We're not exactly expecting guests at this time. What are you doing here?"

"This is where I needed to be. So, I'm here." Jaime looked at him confused, "I don't know what I was doing in LA. I belong here."

"So you just got up and left?"

"Yeah, basically."

"You're insane."

"But, you love me."

"We've missed you."

"How are they?"

"I don't know. Lauren won't talk to her but, insists she live here. Its affecting them, you know. They miss each other. Its so weird living in the same house as two people who aren't talking."

"And Joe?"

"Joe keeps trying to talk to them but neither of them are having it. Honestly, I think Lauren's right here. She has no obligation to be nice to Joe. Or Julia. I don't know how you forgave her so quickly."

"Julia was drunk out of her mind. She barely remembers what happened. Joe, on the other hand, appears to have been almost completely sober. I'm choosing to believe that if she had not been drinking nothing would have happened."

"So you're saying its Joe's fault?"

"Well, how do you think she got to his house? He drove her there."

"The whole story makes more sense now." Darren yawned, "You're probably exhausted. We'll talk in the morning."

"G'night." Darren lay down on the couch. He awoke a few hours later at about seven. He was the only one awake and decided to make gluten-free pancakes with chocolate chips. A little while later someone stumbled into the kitchen half-asleep.

"Mmmmm... Jaime those smell good!"

"Thanks but, I'm not Jaime." Melissa rubbed her eyes and looked up at Darren who was grinning back.

"Darren! When did you get here?"

"Last night. Jaime almost killed me with a baseball bat."

"What?"

"She thought I was a burglar stealing yogurt from the fridge. Oh and Merry Christmas by the way."

"Merry Christmas! Its a good thing you're here maybe you can talk some sense into them."

"I'm gonna try. Where's Lauren? She's usually an early riser."

"She's been really tired this week. So, I guess for once she's sleeping in." Jaime walked into the room blearly eyed and took Darren's coffee out of his hands.

"Morning. Melissa I see you've found our guest."

"I'm going to wake them up."

"Ah, ah, ah. They don't like that."

"I going to do it anyway." He walked right into Lauren's room where she was lying fast asleep in her bed. He sat down next to her, put a hand over her mouth, and whispered in her ear, "Good morning. Please don't scream. Julia's still sleeping." Lauren opened her eyes and when Darren was sure she wouldn't scream he removed his hand.

"Darren!" She flung her arms around him.

"Hey Lo. How are you?"

"I'm okay."

"We'll talk later. Okay?"

"Yeah, I'm glad you're here. How long are you staying?"

"Forever." He grinned.

"What?"

"I'm not leaving. At least not in the near future."

"Ohmigod! You're here to stay! This is amazing!"

"Shhhh..."

"When did you get in?"

"Early this morning at two. Jaime tried to kill me for eating."

"Huh?"

"She thought I was a burglar stealing yogurt."

"Something smells good."

"Chocolate chip pancakes."

"Are they gluten-free?"

"Are they ever!"

"I'm going to eat."

"Okay, I'm waking Julia up." Darren tiptoed into the next room. A sleeping Julia was lying in the bed. He sat next to her and looked at her for a while. She looked so peaceful when she slept. Not like the troubled woman she now was. He bent over and pressed his lips to hers.

"Wake up sleeping beauty." She slowly opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of Darren.

"You're here!"

"Yup. I'm here."

"You kissed me." She looked confused.

"Yeah." He looked down, "Was it wrong of me to do that? I wasn't really thinking it was just in the moment and you looked so beautiful and I forgot all about it for that one second and I don't regret it but if you don't want to then-"

"You're rambling." Julia smiled at Darren.

"I know."

"Believe me, I have no problem with being kissed but..."

"Julia I'm past that. You made a mistake. You did something bad. You aren't bad. The action was bad. You're a human being and you make errors. God knows I've made some in the last few years."

"Darren you haven't made a mistake in I don't know how long."

"Really, cause I can think of a few."

"Like what?"

"Taking the job on Glee."

"What?"

"I never should have left you guys. Honestly, I was miserable. I thought about everyone every second of every day."

"Anything else?"

"Going out with you."

"What?" Julia looked hurt.

"Not like that! Let me explain. You're an amazing woman and I want to be with you. But, I never should have done that to you. I started to go out with you and then I left. Julia, I know what was happening when I was gone. Lauren told me about how you would cry at nights and that you were upset when I couldn't call. I hurt you and that was a mistake." Julia looked a little shocked that Lauren had told him that and then looked like she was holding back tears.

"Any more?"

"Yeah, the third and worst mistake I've ever made."

"Which was?"

"Leaving you."

**A/N-I'm stopping it there. So, review and I'll try to update soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N- *guiltily sneaks back in* I'm soooo sorry you guys! But, not to worry. I'm back now. Of course, I'm going to drop off the radar again soon. But, enjoy the chapter!**

Darren and Julia walked into the kitchen to find Lauren, Jaime, and Melissa sitting at the table. The three girls were festively wearing Santa hats and laughing. They went silent when Darren and Julia came in holding hands. There were two seats available next to each other. One was next to Lauren and one next to Jaime. Darren quickly sat next to Jaime trying to get Lauren to talk to Julia.

"So…" Melissa said awkwardly once they were seated and started cutting their pancakes. The other two girls were quiet but Darren could see the obvious question reflected in their eyes. He glanced at Julia and the two of them came to a quiet conclusion. They decided not to say anything about what just happened unless one of them asked out loud.

"The pancakes are great, Darren." Jaime commented.

"Thanks. What are your Christmas plans?"

"We're gonna meet up with everyone later on today." Lauren answered.

"Its gonna be just like the old days!" Darren said excitedly.

"Its not like the old days. We celebrate Christmas this way every year. You're just never around to see it."

"Why are you snapping at me?" He asked confused.

"I'm not!" Lauren defended herself.

"Yes you are."

"Well its your fault being gone for so long!"

"How is this my fault? What are you talking about?"

"I do-I don't know." She got up and ran out of the kitchen.

"Sorry. She's been a bit of a drama llama these past few months." Jaime apologized. She started to get up, "I'd better go check on her."

"Let me." Darren stopped her. He got up and walked down the hall until he reached Lauren's bedroom. He knocked, "Lo? Its Darren. Can I come in?" No response, "I'm coming in anyway." Darren walked over to the bed and sat next to Lauren.

"Sorry. That was mean." She said.

"Its okay."

"I just don't know what's gotten into me."

"I do. You miss them."

"I might miss Julia but I do not miss asshole Walker!"

"Yes you do. You still love him. I can tell."

"I don't love him! He cheated on me! I can't still love him!"

"Why not?"

"Are you saying that you still love Julia after what she did?"

"Yes." He said simply. Then he elaborated, "I love Julia unconditionally. It doesn't matter what she does because I love her. Its as easy as that."

"But-"

"But nothing. It was one little mistake. It was a bad mistake but still just a mistake. She did something bad. Something horrible. But does that mean Julia is a bad person or any less deserving of love?" He waited for a second then answered his own question, "No."

"Lauren!" Melissa appeared out of breath at the door, "Joe's here!"

"No! Tell him to go away!"

"He really wants to talk to you."

"Nononononononono!" Lauren ran to the bathroom and locked herself in. Darren led Melissa out of the room.

"I'm going to go talk to Joe. I want you to send Julia to talk to Lauren."

"She's not go-"

"Yes she will." He interrupted.

"But-"

"Melissa." He said in a warning tone, "Just do it." Melissa nodded, acknowledging that Darren understood what was going on better than she did. They both exited Lauren's room and Darren made his way to the front door where Jaime was trying to keep Joe out. He scanned for Julia and he spotted her on the couch, her expression fearful. He gave her a reassuring smile and walked right to the door.

"Darren!" Joe said in relief, "Jaime won't let me in!"

"Jaims, Joe and I are going for a walk."

"What? No I-"

"Joe and I are going for a walk." He repeated firmly taking charge of the situation. He grabbed Joe by the arm and walked him back out of the door. Jaime shut it behind them with a bang.

"Where are we going?"

"For a walk." They walked outside and began to stroll down the Chicago street. Once they had walked about a block Darren started to speak, "What was that?"

"What?"

"Showing up at their place like that!"

"I don't know. How are they?"

"Well I talked to Lo this morning. She misses you, alot. You won't lose her over this. That girl is a keeper."

"How do you know?"

"Just a feeling. She doesn't want to be in love with you but she can't help herself. Its sort of adorable actually."

"And Julia?"

"She's... I don't know."

"How do you not know? Aren't you like this?" Joe twisted his fingers together indicating closeness.

"I should know but I haven't been around a lot lately. Its my fault and I regret not being here when she needed me. When they both needed me. But I've heard that Joey did a good job."

"Yeah. He's been watching them for us."

"You make them sound like kids."

"They're acting like kids."

"I think they'll make up soon. Then we can focus on Laurwalk!"

"Dare, I don't think that's a good idea. I want to earn her trust back first."

"The time for taking it slow has passed. Now its time for action man!"

"You're kidding right?"

"Yeah. Just messing with you. You definitely should take it slow." The two walked in silence for a while passing coffee shops and thrift stores.

"Can I ask you something?" Joe said.

"Shoot."

"Why are you being nice to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You should hate me right now."

"Would you rather we didn't talk?"

"No."

"Then its settled."

**A/N- I hope you liked it! I'll try and update as many stories as possible today! Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- Hi! I think this story is going to be wrapping up within the next few chapters. It'll be sad to see it done but it definitely opens me up to updating other stories. (YAY! More updates!) And to starting to write a little Klaine or Dramione. (Maybe…) So, enjoy the last few chapters!**

Melissa walked into the living room where Julia sat on the couch with Jaime, "Are they gone?"

"Yeah." Answered Jaime, "Darren got rid of him. Thank god! Is Lauren okay?"

"She locked herself in the bathroom."

"Did you talk to her?"

"No. Darren was insisting that Julia do it." Both girls looked at Julia.

"Me?" She asked, "Are you serious? Lauren hates me right now!"

"He's right." Jaime said, "You need to do it."

"O-okay." Julia stood up and made her way to the bedroom and stood outside the bathroom. Lauren clearly hadn't heard her come in and Julia could hear her crying inside. She almost knocked on the door but changed her mind. Instead she sunk to the ground outside and sat on the floor leaning against the door. She must have sat there for about five minutes before she realized that she was crying too, lost in her thoughts.

She noticed that the crying sounds had stopped inside the bathroom and all that could be heard was her own sniffling. She looked at the door and a small hand, belonging to Lauren, appeared under it. Julia reached out and grabbed her fingers holding them tight, the first contact with her best friend in months. She could hear that Lauren had started to cry again and they sat like that, holding hands under the door, crying, for a while. Neither knew how long they had been there when finally Lauren spoke.

"J-Julia?" There was a pause, "I'm sorry."

"So am I." With those words, Julia knew she was forgiven. The handle turned and the door slowly opened. Julia stood up and walked in, sitting on the floor next to Lauren. Without saying anything she aggressively pulled Lauren into a hug. Lauren reciprocated and the two girls tightly held each other, trying to erase any memories of the last few horrible months. Both knew that they would have to talk about things eventually, but that could wait.

-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-STARKID-

Darren returned to the apartment after his talk with Joe to see Jaime and Melissa eating cookie dough ice cream and crying over The Notebook. He walked over and switched the TV off.

"Hey!" The girls yelled with tearstained cheeks.

"Relax, you can turn it back on again in a few minutes. Now, where the heck are Julia and Lauren?"

"I don't know. We sent Julia to talk to Lauren and she never came back. We haven't heard any voices or noises though." Jaime said irritated.

"Are you sure she went to talk to Lauren?"

"Yes."

"I'm gonna go see how she's doing and find Julia." Darren took the same path Julia had taken earlier and walked into the bedroom to see the bathroom door open and the lights on. He moved closer and peered inside. He smiled slightly at the scene before him. Both girls appeared to be fast asleep. Julia's head rested against the rim of the bathtub and Lauren lay on top of her with her arms tightly wrapped around her best friend.

He briefly contemplated waking them up as Julia's head was in an uncomfortable position and the bathroom was cold. But after seeing the tear tracks on their faces he decided he didn't want to deal with it now. Instead he went into the bedroom and grabbed a pillow and a blanket. He gently lifted Julia's head and put the pillow under it then covered them with the blanket. He moved to close the lights but Darren couldn't resist snapping a picture with his phone. He shut the lights and walked back to the kitchen.

"Well? Did you find them?" Jaime asked impatiently when he came back in.

"Yeah. They're sleeping." Darren responded holding out his phone to the girls.

"That's adorable!" Melissa exclaimed.

"No. Not adorable. Well, yes adorable. But, no. This is bad. We were supposed to meet everyone at the theatre to open presents fifteen minutes ago!" Jaime answered. Her phone rang, "That's probably Joey now." She answered, "Jaime Lyn Beatty."

"Where are you guys? We're waiting." Joey responded.

"We have a situation." Jaime answered tentatively.

"What kind of situation?"

"A Julia and Lauren situation." She revealed.

"What happened?" Despite the exasperated tone in his voice it was clear that he was worried.

"Nothing. But, they're both sleeping."

Joey sighed with relief that there was no serious problem, "Wake them up then! I don't see the issue."

"Who is it?" Darren's voice interrupted.

"Its Joey. He wants to know where we are." Jaime answered.

"Can I have the phone?" Darren asked.

"Joey. I'm giving the phone to Dare." Jaime told him.

"Okay." Jaime handed the phone over to the boy and Darren walked out of the room.

"Merry Christmas Joey!"

"You to man. What's going on over there?"

"I'm not sure. They're both sleeping and I don't want to wake them up. I think I'm going to send Jaime and Melissa over and I'm gonna stay here until they wake up."

"Why do you need to stay?"

"Damage control. They were both crying."

"Okay. But, you all have to come over right when they wake up."

"We'll try."

"Alright then. See you later."

"Bye." Darren hung up and walked back over to the girls, "Why don't you two get going?"

"Huh?" Jaime looked at him confused.

"I'm gonna stay here until they wake up but you two should go."

"What? No. I'm going to stay here with them until they get up. We don't know what the situation is going to be. You might need our help!" Jaime responded.

"Jaim. It's Christmas! You should enjoy yourselves! You shouldn't be worrying about this today! It'll be totally fine. They're gonna wake up. Talk it out. And then we'll be right over. Just a few hours."

"Okay but you better call us if things get out of hand."

"I will. Have fun girls!" Jaime and Melissa grabbed their coats and walked outside.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Jaime asked worriedly glancing back up at the lit up apartment window. Melissa grabbed her and linked arms with her dragging into the snow towards her car.

"They'll be okay. It always works out."

**A/N- Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter we'll see them talking! And I might put a smidge of Breredith in a few chapters from now! So, review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N- This ****story is wrapping up I think. You should read One Last Show (Shameless self-promotion). It's the fic that's sorta gonna be replacing this one. Welp, enjoy!**

Julia drowsily opened her eyes. She tried to sit up but was hindered by Lauren. Gently she poked the sleeping girl.

"Lo? Lo. Wake up." Lauren stirred and covered her ears.

"Nooooo! I wanna sleep. I'm tired."

"You have to get up. I need to get dressed we need to get over to-" She glanced at her watch which read five o'clock, "Dammit! We slept through the whole day!"

"I don't care. I haven't slept this well in months! I'm not going to feel bad about that!" Julia mumbled a little under her breath, "What?"

"I'm sorry."

"Its not your fault. I was keeping a grudge."

"It was my fault and I haven't been sleeping either."

"I hated it you know."

"Hated what?"

"Hating you. I was so scared that when I was ready to forgive you, you wouldn't be able to accept my forgiveness."

"Of course I would. I didn't think you would forgive me though."

"Julia. In all the years I've known you have I ever hated someone forever?"

"Well there was that one time…"

"She doesn't count. Besides her."

"No."

"I recognize mistakes Jules. And even though it took me longer to accept this, I would never, could never cut you out of my life."

"I know."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Is this going to be rhetorical?"

"No." Lauren took a deep breath, "W-Why did you do it? Why him?"

"I barely remember anything from that night. We were at a bar then I was in his car and he was supposed to drive me home but instead we ended up at his house. I don't even know how I got there. I just-I just don't know." Julia broke down.

"Okay. Okay." Lauren noticed the blanket and pillow, "What's up with the blanket and pillow?"

"I don't know. I guess Jaime or Melissa put it here."

"I don't think it was them."

"Why not?" Lauren tilted her head towards the door where Darren was standing smiling, "Oh. Hi Dare."

"You girls up?"

"No we're sleeping." Lauren said.

"Well then. Good to see you're feeling sarcastic again." They all nodded for no particular reason, awkwardness radiating all around, "So, is everything okay now?"

"Yeah." The girls said together. There was another awkward moment.

"Thanks." Julia said.

"For what?"

"For the pillow."

"No problem. I know that you have problems sleeping on hard surfaces."

"Well. Thanks." Julia smiled at him and Darren winked.

"I can't decide if I need to leave now." Lauren commented.

"Why?"

"You guys are making 'sexy eyes' at each other. Maybe I should leave you two alone to make up."

"No. We need to go."

"Where? Oh right. Party. Presents. Christmas." Darren remembered.

"Let's go." Lauren said. The girls stood up and looked in the mirror. Lauren scanned her reflection, "Oh god. The raccoon look does not suit me." She made a futile effort to rub some of the make up that had run off her face, "Oh well. Not like I have anyone to look nice for anyway."

"Untrue. Joe was just one chapter in your life." Julia said, "There will be other guys. Don't let this make you feel like you're not worth it."

"That's the thing Julia! I don't want him as just one chapter! Don't you get it? I want him to be the whole damn book! I love him! I love him! I love Joe Walker!" Lauren yelled, angry tears in her eyes.

"Okay. It's okay." Julia reassured her.

"No! It's not okay! You're not okay! I'm not okay! Dare's not okay! Joe's not okay! We're not okay! Things are not okay!"

"Alright." Darren said tentatively as he pulled out his phone and texted Jaime, 'SOS'.

"Stop pretending that things are fine! Nothing is fine! We can't keep pretending that things are fine when everything's wrong!"

"We're not pretending. Everything is working out. Things are falling in line. Okay?" Julia tried to soothe her.

"Yeah? For you maybe! What about me and Joe? Have we just forgotten about the other relationship you ruined? You! It's you fault! You made this happen! You-" She stopped, unable to continue her rant through her tears.

"Just let it out Lo. Get it all out." Julia said, "Come on. Lay it on me. I can take it. We need to do this."

"No." Darren said firmly, "Julia I think it'd be best if you went to your room so the two of you could cool off a bit."

"You can't do that! You don't run my life! You can't tell me what to do! If I want to stay here I will! Lauren can do her worst! I'm not leaving!"

"You are going to go to leave this room Julia." Darren said slowly and calmly, "It's nonnegotiable. I'm not letting you two hurt each other anymore."

"We're just letting it out Darren. It's not gonna hurt anyone."

"That's easy for you to say! You weren't there when Julia wouldn't get out of bed! When she was to broken to go to rehearsal! When she avoided me and Joey! All because of you! You! You did all of that Lauren! Your little 'letting it out' damaged her and it took months for her to recover!"

"Shut up Darren!" Julia yelled.

"No! If you're 'letting it out' so am I! She needs to hear this! She needs to know what happened! She needs to know that her words have consequences! That what she says affects people!"

"Darren! Leave it!"

"Stop it!" Lauren beseeched, "Please!"

"Oh! Can't take it! Well guess what? Julia took it for months!" Darren bellowed.

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me Darren! I can handle this myself!"

"Well clearly not because you continue to let her insult you!"

"I deserve it! After what I did the least I can do is let her yell a little if it makes her feel better!"

"Well maybe you can handle it but I'm not going to stand by and let her verbally attack you!"

"Well then maybe you should leave!" Julia shouted, "Look! The door's right there! Get out!"

**A/N- That was intense! I don't know if I've ever written anything this angsty but I think that they all needed to get it out of their systems. Well, review!**


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